Photos of the week: 8/12 - 8/19

As the Olympics captivate the world's attention from Rio de Janeiro, take a few moments away from the Games to look back at the past week in news.

Severe weather made headlines around the globe this week, with extreme heat taking its toll on residents in multiple cities and several wildfires prompted evacuations in California. We also saw dramatic scenes out of the flooding in Louisiana that quickly turned into a crisis.

Europe's migrant crisis was also in the news, as people in war-torn countries continue to seek refuge in safer areas.

See the best photos from all of these stories and more below:

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News photos of the week for 8/19

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News photos of the week for 8/19

SORRENTO, LA - AUGUST 18: Bryce Richard and Blake Waguespack help load a boat with items they are salvaging from a friends flooded home on August 18, 2016 in Sorrento, Louisiana. Last week Louisiana was overwhelmed with flood water causing at least thirteen deaths and thousands of homes damaged by the flood waters. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 18: A seal stays cool in the water on a hot afternoon at the Central Park Zoo on August 18, 2016 in New York City. According to the latest Nasa data, July 2016 was the hottest month in recorded history, beating the record set just 12 months before. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

MCALLEN, TX - AUGUST 18: Texas State Troopers patrol the Rio Grande at the U.S.-Mexico border on August 18, 2016 near McAllen, Texas. Securing the U.S.-Mexico border has become a major issue in the U.S. Presidential campaign. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

WRIGHTWOOD, CA - AUGUST 17: Fire spreads overnight at the Blue Cut Fire on August 17, 2016 near Wrightwood, California. An unknown number of homes and businesses have burned and more than 80,000 people are under evacuation orders as the out-of-control wildfire spread beyond 30,000 acres and threatens to expand into the ski resort town of Wrightwood. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 15: Hundreds of area muslims attend a mass prayer for Imam Maulama Akonjee and his assistant, Thara Uddin, 64, who died in a fatal shooting outside of the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque on August 13 in the Queens borough of New York on August 15, 2016 in New York City. Hundreds gathered near the mosque to hold a mass prayer service for the victims and to demand justice for the murders. The New York Police Department (NYPD) is currently questioning a Ãperson of interestÃ in the murders. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

MILWAUKEE, WI - AUGUST 15: A man talks to police in riot gear as they wait in an alley after a second night of clashes between protestors and police August 15, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Hundreds of angry people confronted police after an officer shot and killed a fleeing armed man. (Photo by Darren Hauck/Getty Images)

Syrian refugee girl Housaida rests inside the Spanish rescue vessel Astral after being rescued by the Spanish NGO Proactiva off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean Sea August 18, 2016. REUTERS/Giorgos Moutafis TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A huge plume of smoke crosses over Interstate 15 during the Blue Cut fire at the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. August 17, 2016. REUTERS/Patrick T Fallon

An aerial view showing boats at Chaka Salt Lake in Haixi, Qinghai Province, China, August 12, 2016. Picture taken August 12, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION HAS BEEN PROVIDED SEPARATELY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. CHINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CHINA. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY.

A casket is seen floating in flood waters in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, U.S., August 15, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Blindfolds are pictured inside a prison, which according to Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters belonged to Islamic State militants, in Manbij, Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 17, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

The moon sets behind the Vidigal favela in Rio de Janeiro. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

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Be sure to check back next weekend for our selection of the best photography from the coming days.